3 Ways Gen Z is Reshaping the Western Church

I don't really want to talk about Gen Z. Perhaps it is because it makes me feel old, since I am technically a millennial, and maybe I am subconsciously irritated that my generation has been replaced as the centre of attention.

But I like to think that the reason I don’t want to talk about Gen Z is because I don't like making generalizations about people. I've never met anyone who fit neatly under a label, unless they were intentionally trying to. And I have never met anyone who lived their life intentionally trying to fit under a label. Making generalizations comes with significant limitations and, in our minefield of a culture, is an undertaking fraught with danger.

But generalizations have value because they help us understand the world. And it was on such a quest for understanding that I came across Jean M. Twenge's helpful book on Gen Z, iGen; Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy—and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood.

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I know, long title. But Dr. Twenge more than compensates for it by filling her book with insights that parents, pastors, teachers and employers will find valuable. She uses four rich databases to compare generations to one another, in order to pinpoint differences that are due to cultural changes. As a pastor, and cultural critic (aren’t we all), I found the book very useful.

The Scripture says "David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was buried". This is one example out of many that illustrate how the Bible, both narratively and didactically, declares that God's eternal purposes are accomplished in time, by and through each generation. This reality demands that Christians, especially pastors and leaders, seek to understand not only the purposes of God, but the generations in which they have been placed—and how these two dynamics interact.

With that in mind, let’s talk about Gen Z. According to Dr. Twenge’s formulation, Gen Z consists of people born between 1995 and 2012, meaning that the youngest of Gen Z will be turning ten years old this year, and the oldest turning 27. In Canada, that represents more than 8 million people or over 20% of our population, making Gen Z no minor demographic or inconsequential group. Gen Z is shaping the culture of nations, and the complexion of the body of Christ.

Below, I offer three conclusions from Dr. Twenge’s research, followed by how I think they will impact the church in the next decade. The data Dr. Twenge is working with is based on surveys of American young people however, I found it quite applicable to Canadians, and I believe you will as well.

1. Gen Z is politically polarized.

“Everyone has retreated into their corners, and that is true of young people as well.”

Jean Twenge, PhD

If it feels like people are more politically polarized than in previous years, that's because they are. In 1960, 5% of Republicans and 4% of Democrats said they would be upset if their child married someone of the opposite political party. In 2010, that number had become 49% for Republicans and 33% for Democrats.

The polarization of western civilization is real, and Gen Z is no exception. For example, the number of young people identifying as moderates reached an all-time low in 2016, while the number of high school seniors who described themselves as "very liberal" or "very" conservative reached an all-time high in 2015.

Yet while Gen Z tends to move toward the political extremes, that does not necessarily mean they are politically involved. Despite their strong opinions, Gen Z is unique for having both a low interest in government, as well as a low trust in government. The result is that young people hold stronger political views, yet few of them are interested in staying informed or getting involved in politics.

What might this mean for the Church? It might mean the last thing many pastors and church leaders want to hear; Gen Z could be ushering in an era when pastors and churches that value winning emerging generations to Christ are forced to become politically informed, politically engaged, and to take public stances that will be perceived as political.

I’m not suggesting that pastors and churches side with conservatives over liberals, or capitalists over socialists. Gen Z is strongly independent when it comes to politics, preferring personalities over parties. But in a society that sees moral issues (such as sexual ethics) as political issues, it may be counterproductive (or simply untenable) to pursue a policy of total silence or strict neutrality.

2. Gen Z is getting married less (and later), and having kids less (and later).

According to Dr. Twenge, marriage is starting to be seen as "something only old people do". One young lady she interviewed said "people are waiting until they don't have any other option but to get married".

• The percentage of high school seniors who expect to get married within five years dropped 22% between 2007 and 2015.

• Women now enter their first marriage at 27 and men at 29.

• More 18-34 year olds now live with their parents, than live with a spouse or romantic partner.

• In Gen Z, we may be seeing the fruit of fatherless homes; 36% of their generation was born to unwed mothers, compared to 25% of millennials.

• Gen Z could become the generation with the largest number of single people on record, as well as the lowest birthrate in history.

So what does this mean for the Church? I think it means that the Church must embrace the task of not only preaching doctrine, but instilling values—particularly the value for family. This task may have to begin with explaining what a family is, and why it matters, according to God's Word.

It also means that certain assumptions must be reevaluated, or done away with altogether. The young people walking into our churches today are much more likely to have a distant relationship with their father (if they have one at all). Beyond that, church programs are often designed with families in mind, but the families Gen Z is coming from may look a lot different than previous generations.

With a much larger number of single people than the generations before it, Gen Z will the church to pay attention to single adults like never before. I see Gen Z driving the church to redesign its ministries, and to reassess its approach to relational ministry.

3. Gen Z is committing suicide at a tragic rate.

That mental health is an urgent issue for youth and young adults will not come as a surprise to anyone who's been paying attention. Still, reading the data on a physical page was simply disturbing. Dr. Twenge reports:

"After declining during the 1990s and stabilizing in the 2000s, the suicide rate for teens has risen again. Forty-six percent more 15-to-19-year-olds committed suicide in 2015 than in 2007, and two and a half times more 12-to-14-year-olds killed themselves. These are heartbreaking numbers."

Truly heartbreaking. Dr. Twenge's book contains several clues that help explain the increase in suicides, and you may find them helpful. But what continues to haunt me after reading the book is the sad reality that whatever our society is doing, it's not working.

With all that governments, educational institutions and workplaces are doing to combat the mental health crisis, something is missing. And I believe that what they are missing, is the one thing they can't give them. What Gen Z needs, what every human life needs in order to flourish, is vision.

Where there is no vision, the people perish.

Proverbs 29:18 KJV

Not accommodation, vision. Not just protection, vision. Without it, we perish. From her founding, the Church was given the mandate to be the light of the world—that which gives the world the ability to see—and that's exactly what emerging generations need us to be.

We must see Gen Z's battle with suicide as a calling for the Church to reclaim her place as society's visionary. As allies to their cause, the Church must be their prophetic partner, boldly proclaiming truth against the seductive lies that are destroying their lives.

I realize that the conclusions I have highlighted in this entry may not exactly inspire hope for Gen Z. As a matter of fact, near the end of her book, Dr. Twenge says "In the three years I spent working on this book, making dozens of line graphs, reading campus newspapers, and listening to the stories and opinions of young people during in-depth interviews, I've realized this: iGen'ers are scared, maybe even terrified." Not quite the ringing endorsement of our future leaders one might hope for.

But there is reason to hope. Not because of statistics on a page, but because of the Spirit of God. There is hope. A hope not based on a scientific assessment of the present, but on a spiritual vision of the future.

I believe that Gen Z is good for the church. I believe that compassion for Gen Z has the potential to unleash an uncommon courage in the Western Church—a courage to confront the principalities and powers that are seeking to enslave an entire generation.

I believe that Gen Z's unique makeup will provoke pastors and leaders to return to the Word, finding fresh revelation for a new generation.

I believe that Gen Z, more than any generation before it, will cause us to rediscover what it really means to be human.

There’s no question; Gen Z will reshape the Western Church, and we will be better for it.